Posting a job…..reviewing resumes…..interviewing……it is a lot of work to find the right person for your team. As you navigate through the hiring process, mistakes can be made that cause a great candidate to be “the one that got away.” Those great candidates can become great employees. The manager making the hiring decision has a significant influence on the outcome of the hiring process and one way a manager can ensure the hiring process works in his or her favour is to avoid these common mistakes.
1) Not thinking through the requirements of the role – Sometimes, a job opportunity may be advertised in the same way that it always has been in the past without stopping to consider what has changed in the business and what the business needs in the future. For example, a manufacturing facility that has a targeted focus on reducing waste may put a higher priority on finding a supervisor with experience in lean production methods. A business that has an aggressive revenue target may search for a sales person who has had demonstrated success on prospecting new accounts. Hiring someone new and then realizing after the hire is on board that a different skill set is needed is a huge missed opportunity for a business
2) Rushing to fill the position – It may be tempting, particularly when a position is vacant, to `settle` for a candidate that is less than ideal. It’s likely that someone, maybe even the manager, is covering the vacant role and doing double duty. That feeling of desperation outweighs the patience and perseverance needed for the manager to continue through the process in search of great talent. In those moments, some managers find they are satisfied with good enough and want to move on. This is another missed opportunity.
3) Placing too much weight on personality – Sometimes the chemistry between the interviewer and the candidate ignites and an enthusiastic conversation takes place. This is a promising development in an interview. The trap to avoid is to make sure that this experience is adequately and appropriately weighted with an objective assessment of skills. The opposite can occur when the hiring manager doesn’t experience a connection with the candidate and lets a talented individual walk out the door.
4) Not preparing for the interview – An interview is an information gathering exercise and the information obtained in the process is used to assess a candidate’s suitability for a position. What are the questions that will provide the maximum amount of relevant information to the hiring manager? By not taking time in advance to read the resume or consider the questions to ask, the interview may be more banter and conversation. That may be enjoyable but it’s likely not helpful.
5) Asking questions that are irrelevant or off limits – Asking questions that are not related to the vacant position, or questions that draw out information related to a prohibited ground under an applicable human rights code is unadvisable. Asking about one’s marital status or religious practices, even in a casual way, is not permissible. Doing so puts the business at risk of a human rights complaint and it is not relevant to one’s ability to do the job.
6) Talking too much – If a manager is talking, he or she is not listening. Therefore, he’s not learning anything new about the person in front of him. He’s not getting information about what this person has accomplished or how the candidate can contribute to his company. If the manager talks too much, at the end of the interview, he will probably have learned very little and not know whether or not the candidate is a suitable fit. Simply put, it may be another nice conversation but one that is a waste of time.
When we reflect on our experience with interviewing, at one time or another, many of us have made at least one of these mistakes. As we develop our interviewing skills, we learn to avoid these common traps and in doing so, are more likely to find great talent for our teams.
